Document #1124679

IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada

Crimes, including the serious human rights violations, rapes and killings, that were reportedly committed by members of the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (Mouvement de libération du Congo, MLC) (2002 - May 2005) [RDC43557.FE]

A report from the Secretary-General of the
United Nations to the Security Council titled Rapport
spécial sur les événements d'Ituri (janvier
2002-décembre 2003) stated that

[UN English version]

it is estimated that 8,000 civilians . . . were
deliberately killed or were the victims of indiscriminate use of
force from January 2002 to December 2003. . . . Countless women
were abducted and became "war wives," while others were raped or
sexually abused before being released. More than 600,000 civilians
have been forced to flee their homes. Thousands of children aged
from 7 to 17 were drawn forcibly or voluntarily into armed groups,
placing their very lives at risk and depriving them of a childhood.
In addition, entire villages-belonging to all the different ethnic
groups-were destroyed (16 July 2004, 5).

The same report indicated that these abuses
were carried out by all armed groups present, including the
Movement for the Liberation of Congo (Mouvement de
libération du Congo, MLC) (United Nations 16 July 2004,
5).

In reference to a 12 October 2002 attack by
the MLC and Congolese Rally for Democracy-National (Rassemblement
congolais pour la démocratie/National, RCD-N) forces on the
town of Mambasa, located on the road to Beni in the territory of
Mambasa, the UN Secretary-General's report stated that [UN English
version] "the region witnessed a new scale of violence
characterized by a premeditated operation and the use of looting,
rape and summary execution as tools of warfare" (ibid., 35). During
the time they spent in Mambasa, [UN English version] "the MLC and
RCD-N forces . . . committed serious human rights abuses such as
summary executions, systematic rape, systematic looting and acts of
cannibalism" (ibid., 36). Moreover, the MLC and the Union of
Congolese Patriots (Union des patriotes congolais, UPC) launched
another attack on 20 November 2002 on the town of Mongobwalu, which
resulted [UN English version] "in the killing of around 200
civilians and the destruction of infrastructures" (ibid., 34).

Human Rights Watch (HRW) wrote in a March
2005 report that

[HRW English version]

MLC forces have committed numerous acts of sexual
violence. In a particularly egregious case of sexual abuse, forces
of the former MLC gang-raped about 120 women and girls in two
villages in Mongala district, Equateur province, on December 21 and
22, 2003 (7 Mar. 2005, 5).

According to the same report, [HRW English
version] "[t]hese former MLC fighters had recently been integrated
into the new national army, the FARDC" (HRW 7 Mar. 2005, 5; see
also Country Reports 2004 28 Feb. 2005, Sec. 1g).

This Response was prepared after
researching publicly accessible information currently available to
the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is
not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any
particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list
of additional sources consulted in researching this Information
Request.

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